McLaughlin Distillery 3799 Bourbon

 

In a quaint house-turned-distillery (or world headquarters as the sign states) is a local Sewickley, Pennsylvania distiller who is producing local craft bourbon, whiskey and flavored moonshines.  Owner Kim McLaughlin follows his family's distilling traditions and pours his heart and soul into each barrel.  McLaughlin Distillery will tell you up front that they aren't the biggest and they don't have the fanciest machinery.  But what they do have is a passion for making distilled spirits that represent this southwest Pennsylvania borough while using oak from the North to age their spirits.

The 3799 Bourbon has a beautiful dense chestnut-orange color.  While we don't know the age statement of this bourbon, it is the distillery's most popular offering.  The nose presents chocolate covered almonds, green earth, vanilla and dark tea.  Swirling really opens this up and we tasted this neat.  In the mouth was almond crunch, hayloft earthiness, hints of semi-sweet chocolate and carmel.  The initial sip gives you a hug and then quickly falls off to a smoother finish that leaves you curious about the next sip.

We will be re-visiting this with a few drops of water and a cube at a later date.  The McLaughlin Distillery team offers four cocktail recipes on their website for this bourbon, so that might be a fun way to share this with friends as well.  We like what Kim and company are doing and we would love to see what some older bourbons are offering from them.

ABV:  45.0% (90 proof)

Distillery:  McLaughlin Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $69.99

Drink The Bottles score:  88/100

Town Branch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Town Branch Distillery is Lexington, Kentucky's first new distillery built post-Prohibition.  Located on the banks of the Elkhorn Creek, the area's limestone water is rivaled to be some of the best in the world for distilled spirits.  Town Branch is part of the Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co and they make one of our favorite beers, which we tasted many years ago - Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  We will fight anyone who thinks that isn't one of the best bourbon aged beers on the market!

This is the Town Branch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and one of their first released distilled products.  Pleasant dark honey color with aromas of caramelized sugar, biscuits, dry earth and bright fruits.  You get a really warm Kentucky hug from this bourbon and flavors of cedar box, cherry preserves, green chiles with a semi-sweet and long caramel finish, including a hint of orchard fruits.  Tasted neat, as always.  This is a solid daily drinker and one that would be great for cocktails.

ABV:  45.0% (90 proof)

Distillery:  Town Branch Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $39.99

Drink The Bottles score:  90/100

 

2023 Flora Springs Soliloquy White Wine

The long days of summer are here and that means it is white wine season!  Historically, we have only tasted red wines from Flora Springs Winery, so we were excited to have the opportunity to try something new to us and this one was timed perfectly with the hot weather.  The Flora Springs Soliloquy White Wine is a blend of primarily Sauvignon Blanc with Chardonnay and the lesser known Malvasia added for complexity and flavors.  This is one of Flora Springs flagship wines and it is quickly noticeable why it carries that identity.

Pale gold in the glass with hints of greenish blue on the rim, this wine is immediately identifiable as primarily Sauvignon Blanc by the familiar meadow grass, floral and stone fruit aromas.  We tasted this slightly chilled to take advantage of the full tasting experience, but there is no doubt this would be a porch sipping or pool party wine served well chilled.  Citrus fruit, vanilla, and apples are dominant with honeycomb and sea salt showing up in the very pleasant and medium finish.  The acidity is perfect and this isn't overly bright like some Sauvignon Blanc wines tend to be.  We love what Flora Springs has done here and think this is a real winner!

ABV:  14.2%

Napa Valley, CA

631 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $70.00

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

 

Westward Single Malt Whiskey

If you don't have the three of four minutes to read our entire review of this whiskey, we will cut to the chase.   This is quite possibly the best single malt whiskey we have tasted in 2024.  Now, if you want to know why then keep reading.  The Westward Single Malt Whiskey is what they call their original whiskey.  It is 100% malted barley from the Pacific Northwest and aged in heavy and light charred oak barrels.  The great northwest is known for exceptional barley crops and that is evident in what we are tasting today.  

Medium to dark copper in color, this single malt whiskey carries distintive aromas and flavors that represent the waters of the Pacific Northwest, which is the foundation for what Westward produces.  Aromas include a basket of fresh picked peaches, orange bitters, maple candy, roasted nuts, lemon-lime soda and tree bark.  There is a lot going on here!  In the mouth is a mesmerizing and colorful palate consisting of caramelized sugar, peaches, lemon zest, macadamia nut, hints of caramel and hay field.  It's mouth filling and you embrace this with each sip.  The finish is on the fruity and floral side and is absolutely stunningly smooth.  

We take several factors into consideration when determining an overall "score" for a bottle.  We always tell folks not to get too caught up in scores.  Hopefully our descriptions will tell the story.  The bottled product, packaging, label, availability, price, value and more go into helping us calculate a score.  This one is nearly perfect in the single malt whiskey category.  It's absolutely a standout and delicious.

ABV:  45.0% (90 proof)

Distillery:  Westward Whiskey Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $74.95

Drink The Bottles score:  99/100

 

Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Oak Series: French Oak

 

A Smith Bowman Distillery out of Fredericksburg, Virginian has been turning some heads with their limited edition whiskey offerings.  This is the Abraham Bowman Limited Oak Series: French Oak Whiskey that was available through the distillery via lottery due to its exclusive nature.  The distillery has crafted about two dozen special limited release bottles and you quickly understand why these are so popular with whiskey enthusiasts and collectors.

Gorgeous saddle brown color, this twelve year aged whiskey is a blend of their best barrels aged in French Oak, with and without char.  Tasted neat, aromas of freshly baked biscuits, vanilla extract, cherry cobbler and chewy caramel dominate the the nose.  This is instantly mouth-watering and equally matched by the beaming flavors of cherry cordial, lightly tanned leather, vanilla cream, spice cabinet and stone fruits.  It covers the tongue and leaves a very long and lovely finish.  We had the opportunity to share this with some local bourbon and whiskey lovers and it was an instant hit!  While this particular bottle was only avaialble for a limited time via online lottery, you'll want to be on the lookout for future limited edition releases.  Incredible!

ABV:  50.0% (100 proof)

Distillery:  A Smith Bowman Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $79.99

Drink The bottles score:  96/100

Traveller Whiskey from Buffalo Trace

We re-tasted Traveller Whiskey, a collaboration from Buffalo Trace Distillery and country music superstar Chris Stapleton, under the direction of master distiller Harlen Wheatley.  This is a blended whiskey and one that we think you will enjoy.  Don't buy this thinking you are getting a bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon!  

ABV:  45.0% (90 proof)

Distillery:  Buffalo Trace Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $39.99

Drink The Bottles score:  87/100

Firefly Distillery Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey

We don't have an opportunity to taste many flavored whiskies, but it's always fun and interesting to see how one brand compares over another.  Flavored whiskey is great for the novice whiskey drinker who wants to try whiskey without getting the familiar burn or "hug" from the bottle.  It is also fantastic in festive and summertime cocktails and for creating your own signature drink.  This is Firefly Distillery Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey and it is definitely one of the better flavored whiskey offerings we have tasted in a very long time.  

Jim Irvin and Scott Newitt are the co-founders of Firefly Distillery, bringing their experience from years working in the wine business to a venture that included not only traditional distilled spirits like whiskey, rum, gin and moonshine, but also ready-to-drink cocktails.  The Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey is a selection from their Tom and Huck Distillers series and it features "good ol' southern charm in a bottle".  That's our moniker for this whiskey, not theirs.  

Unlike many other flavored whiskey on the market, this one actually has real berries in the flavoring.  The folks who brought you sweet tea vodka (yes, it's them!) have this blackberry whiskey dialed in.  Light auburn/chestnut color with a cloud of mystique at first glance.  The nose isn't a fruit bomb, which we like.  It is more subtle at first, suggesting this would be tasty not only in a cocktail, but also enjoyed over rocks on a hot summer evening.  There are some vanilla and carmel syrup notes as well.  On the palate is a distinct but restrained blackberry taste with vanilla, baking spices and graham cracker.  It's really a very well made flavored whiskey.  We gave a shot at this recipe.  Keep in mind, we are not mixologists!

• 2 ounces of Firefly Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey
• 3 ounces of ginger ale
• 1/2 lime
• 1 sugar cube
• Serve over ice

But you really can't beat mixing this with some semi-sweet lemonade.  Tone down the sugar in the lemonade to get a better taste of the whiskey.  Add a sprig of mint and you're all set!

ABV:  35.0% (70 proof)

Distillery:  Firefly Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $24.99

Drink The Bottles score:  87/100

We compared Steel Feathers against the new Crown Royal Blackberry Whiskey in this four minute video below.  They are both 70 proof and the results were clear from the start.  Crown Royal does not live up to the hype!   If you want a quality flavored whiskey, search from Steel Feathers from Firefly Distillery.

Check out the head-to-head blackberry whiskey review.